Tuesday, November 17, 2015

BB&T Bank Shares Fortune to Charity

BB&T is a leader in the financial services industry that prides itself for its stature and longevity. The company has continued to build a tradition of excellence in community banking since 1872, and it remains to be one of the oldest and most trusted institutions in the industry. For over a century, BB&T has provided  lending, insurance, trust, and wealth management solutions to its loyal clients.

Aside from providing these financial services, BB&T is also known for their contributions in the community. The company considers corporate social responsibility as one of their priorities – for them, this is a way of returning what the society has given to them.

One of their programs in community development is the Capacity Building Training Program. They facilitate improvement in the local community by allowing participants to form new partnerships and generate ideas for community involvement. Participants are also taught how to identify needs related to affordable housing and economic development. Planning, however, is just the first step. To execute their plan, the participants are grouped into subcommittees to develop feasible strategies to accomplish the specific goals and objectives. BB&T is with them every step of the way to assure that the community development plan will be implemented.

The company also offers community lending to support the credit needs of the communities they serve. Last year, their Community Development lending reached $701.3 million – a big increase from 2009’s $584.7 million. To raise such large sums, BB&T has aligned with McDonald's to raise money for charity. The company has had several partners from various industries to fulfill a common goal.

BB&T also reaches out to the Hispanic community, the largest minority group in the country. They are committed to partnering with key Hispanic organizations to welcome them and provide needs to their growing community.

With all these concrete contributions to the society, BB&T Bank takes the lead in corporate responsibility.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Tokai Pharmaceuticals: Giving Hope to Cancer Patients

Boston, Massachusetts-based Tokai Pharmaceuticals is one of the clinical stage biopharmaceutical companies that focus its resources on the discovery and development of novelty products for cancer. Additionally, the business focuses on finding treatment for hormonally-driven diseases.

As of, the company has one product that is being developed for various treatments. Their product is branded as galeterone, which is an oral small molecule drug. This therapeutic has advantages over existing prostate cancer therapies and is intended as a treatment for patients with castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). This medication acts by disrupting the androgen receptor signalling pathway. The clinical trials of this therapeutic are conducted in the United States and in Canada. The business competes against Orion Corportion, Johnson & Johnson and Medivation, Inc., among other pharmaceutical companies.

Tokai Pharmaceuticals is one of the components of the Wilshire 5000 Index and publicly trades its common shares on the NASDAQ Global Market. The stocks of the company are marketed using the ticker symbol TKAI.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Titan International, Inc.: Manufacturer of Tires, Wheels and Rims

Titan International, Inc. operates from its headquarters in Quincy, Illinois. The business, together with its subsidiaries, provides its products and services to the off-highway vehicle market. The business was incorporated in March 1983 with a history that goes back to more than 100 years ago.

The business entered the tire market in 1993 and started out in the off-highway wheel manufacturing business. Titan International operates on a global scale and focuses on the markets of consumer applications, construction, earthmoving and agriculture. The history of the business started with the Electric Wheel Company, which was founded by John A. Stillwell in 1890. The business was created as a manufacturer of wheels for wagons and farm implements. From the creation of wheels, the company eventually evolved into a manufacturer of tractors and wagons and several other implements.

From its humble beginnings, the business has evolved into a giant venture that works closely with some of the world’s biggest names in heavy equipment and off-highway vehicles. Some of the largest customers of Titan International are Caterpillar, Inc., Deere & Company, AGCO Corporation and CNH Global N.V. It operates through its three reporting segments: agricultural, consumer and earthmoving/construction. The agricultural unit produces rims, wheels and tires that are used in agricultural and forestry equipment. These products are used in planters, irrigation equipment, skidders, plows and tractors. The consumer segment manufactures light truck tires (Russia) and bias truck tires (Latin America). The earthmoving/construction segment provides tires, wheels and rims that are used in various off-the-road (OTR) earthmoving, construction equipment, mining, military and similar vehicles.

Through the company’s aggressive approach in strategically acquiring similar companies, it continues to grow and expand its operations. Titan International, Inc. has the largest dealer network focused on the industry of agriculture. The business remains publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and market its common shares using the symbol TWI.

Friday, November 6, 2015

Tenneco: An Automotive Parts Manufacturer

One of the largest automotive parts producers in the world is Tenneco. Headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, the business was formerly known as the Tennessee Gas Transmission Company. Prior to the diversification of the business, it was focused in the distribution of natural gas in the United States.

In 1996, the company spun off its other segments, consisting of energy, natural gas, packaging and its ship building divisions. Today, it focuses in the designing and manufacturing of automotive parts that are sold to some of the world’s largest and well-known customers like General Motors, Suzuki, Chrysler, Daimier, Audi, Mazda, Jaguar, Honda, Toyota and Porsche, among others. They provide various parts and components including after-market ride-control and emissions products.

During the company’s 2011 fiscal year, they were able to generate more than $7.2 billion in revenue. In 1999, Tenneco made its initial public offering as an automotive parts manufacturer. It markets its common shares using the ticker symbol TEN on the New York Stock Exchange.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Tejon Ranch Company: A Diversified Real Estate Company

Registered as a diversified real estate company, Tejon Ranch Company engages in real estate, agriculture and ranching operations. The company is registered as the largest private landholding company in California. It publicly trades its common shares on the New York Stock Exchange, using the ticker symbol TRC.

The largest property of the company is the Tejon Ranch, which is a historic land area in California that is located along Interstate 5. The property is considered as the largest single piece of private property in the state, which measures to about 270,000 acres. The size of the property is just about the size of the Los Angeles City and is estimated to be around 40% the size of the state of Rhode Island. Within this property, the company develops the Tejon Ranch Commerce Center, which is about a 1,450-acre commercial and industrial center located at the junction of Interstate 5 and Highway 99. It is also in this same location that they develop the Outlets at Tejon which is an upscale outlet retail center created in partnership with The Rockefeller Group.

In addition to the commercial properties being developed by the company, they are also in the process of creating residential communities in the area and as well as the Tejon Mountain Village, mountain resort community. Several communities are already in the pipeline to fully utilize the area within the property. In addition to the real estate venture of the company, several acres within the Tejon Ranch are used in agriculture and ranching operations. The company grows pistachios, almonds, walnuts, wine grapes and several other row crops. Part of their ranching operations are their more than 12,000 cattle that are grazing within their ranching areas.

Tejon Ranch Company partners with several other businesses to fully harness the potential of their properties. The business is listed as one of the components of the Wilshire 5000 Index and is currently headquartered in Lebec, California.

Friday, October 30, 2015

Sunoco Logistics: A Midstream Energy Company

Sunoco Logistics is a master limited partnership that operates as a midstream energy company. The business is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and markets its common shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares are traded using the ticker symbol SXL.

The company operates several properties that are strategically located in locations where they can harness the full potential of their facilities. These hubs are used to transport, terminal and store crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and other refined products. The operations of Sunoco Logistics are divided into four segments, namely Crude Oil Acquisition and Marketing, Crude Oil Properties, Terminal Facilities and Products Pipelines.

Founded in 2001, the company acquires properties to further expand its network pipelines that stretch up to 2,400 miles. The operations of the company are focused in Oklahoma and in Texas. Sunoco Logistics is listed as a component of the Wilshire 5000 Index.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Summit Midstream Partners: A Midstream Energy Company

It is in the energy capital of the world that Summit Midstream Partners holds its corporate office. While the business holds several offices in the United States, its main office is located in The Woodlands, Texas. The company is registered as a master limited partnership and focuses in the midstream energy industry.

The operations of the company are comprised of systems intended to support the gathering of natural gas, crude oil and produced water in unconventional resource basins. There are currently four locations where the business conducts its business: the Piceance Basin, the Fort Worth Basin, the Williston Basin and in the Appalachian Basin. To address the needs in the areas they operate in, the business maintains 5 systems to support operations in the regions.

The Mountaineer Midstream system continues to operate in the Appalachian Basin. The Polar & Divide system serves the Williston Basin, so is the Bison Midstream system. It is in Fort Worth Basin that DFW Midstream system operates, while the Grand River system is in operation in the Piceance Basin. As of December 2014, the company’s network of gathering pipelines stretches up to 2,600 miles and continue to support the operations of some of the largest names in the energy industry in North America. Some of the names they closely work with include WPX Energy, Inc., TOTAL, S.A., Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Antero Resources, Black Hills Corporation and EOG Resources, among others.

The company engages in the development, ownership and operation of midstream energy infrastructure assets in North America. These properties are strategically located in areas where most of the largest names in the energy industry continue to operate. The gathering systems of the company strongly focus on the collection of natural gas. Summit Midstream Partners, LP remains publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Common stocks of the company are marketed using the ticker sybol SMLP.